The conclusion of Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives delivered a shocking twist as Layla confronted Marciano Brunette from Vanderpump Villa over rumors of an affair. Speculation was rife that Marciano had become involved with Layla’s co-star, Jessi Ngatikaura, despite Jessi being married with kids.

As Season 3 of the reality series makes its return, Jessi wasted no time in addressing the swirling gossip. During the premiere episode, she set out to clarify the true nature of her relationship with Marciano.

The season opens with Jessi shedding light on her complex past with Marciano. In a candid moment shared on camera, she revealed that there was a brief separation from her husband Jordan, during which Marciano entered her life:

Jessi Said She And Marciano Had ‘An Emotional Affair’

The first episode of Season 3 kicks off with Jessi explaining her complicated history with Marciano. In a confessional to the cameras, she divulged that there was a brief period when she and her husband Jordan separated, which is when Marciano appeared in her life:

“I was just so heartbroken and hurt over what was going on in my life that I just needed a distraction. That’s really what it was. Jordan’s known for six months, so he’s known the whole time,” she added.

Those who have been following The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives since the first season will know that Jessi and Jordan share two small children together, and that Jordan is often seen in the group’s “DadTok” videos, joking clips the spouses of the influencers often make together. As of this article’s writing, Jessi and Jordan are still together, trying to make things work.

Jessi Isn’t Happy With Marciano

As Jessi’s confession to the cameras continued, she made it clear that there was nothing going on with her and Marciano anymore. Not just that, but that she was also upset with him for telling other people about it. She elaborated on how angry she was with him about having loose lips:

“I’m a little bit panicked because I never thought Marciano would talk about our affair on camera, and when this airs, it’s all going public. And I have a lot of people in my life that are still actively Mormons, and infidelity is definitely frowned upon in the church, and I’m really afraid of the backlash that’s going to come with it,” she continued. Like many of the other women on the show, Jessi is protective of her reputation, as it can have repercussions on her career as an influencer and whether or not she’s able to get sponsorships.

Beyond the paycheck, however, Jessi noted that she was hurt that Marciano was spreading rumors about them that simply weren’t true. “The worst part of this whole thing is that Marciano is lying. He said we had sex, and we didn’t. I’m terrified that Jordan’s gonna believe him over me. I’ve worked really hard to earn his trust back, and now it feels like all of that progress is just gonna go out the window,” she worried.

“It’s hard because we do have kids, so I don’t want to share anything that would ever put them in a weird situation, but I feel like it got to the point where it could be considered emotional abuse—name-calling, talking down to each other, threats, things that just aren’t okay in a marriage or relationship. And it was every day. There wasn’t a single day we weren’t fighting,” she reflected.

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